Sale Statistics (Sold) – Feb 20 – 26th 2011-02-27

• Single Family 140
• Single Family with acreage 21
• Condo’s 4
• Town Home 5
• Building Lots 7
• Four Plex income property 2
• Farm 1


These real estate statistics are taken from the Intermountain MLS for the week of February 20th – 26th 2011

The Cost of doing business

You go to the local gas station now days and it is a matter of watching the attendant outside on a daily basis to raise the numbers as prices climb higher than can be remembered.

What do you do if it is your job to travel around and view properties and give your clients the best look at the homes that may be just what they are looking for? If a Realtor or Agent has made it this far with the recession, then it probably means that you have already figured out the key to survive the market conditions. It may be a little leaner but streamlining is the goal to make it now days.

Planning is the top priority; setting up scheduling for the home tours takes on a new and improved way to do business. First off, let your clients know that you are not going to show any properties that are not in their wish list. This saves the energy and will not lead to any foggy thinking. Get your smart phone maps or GPS units ready and use the shortest travel functions. Plan these trips well ahead of time and make use of your time and miles traveled.

In closing this week, we know that it only takes a hint of unrest for the price per barrel of oil to go up. Don’t contribute to the foreign oil dynasties and save yourself money and sanity.

Smooth as Molasses

Marketing you home now days is a competition with the other short sales and bank homes that speckle the real estate. How do you go up against the many listings in your area that have the stigma of a good deal?

Begin with a good price evaluation of what is selling in your MLS area. These are obtained either on the web or with your favorite Realtor. Having a good price point is the key if you are serious about selling in a reasonable time period.

Buyers begin by looking on the webosphere and search for the items that they feel are what gives them the most boost for their buck. It is the easiest for Realtors to show the many vacant homes to their buyers, but it may not be the best deal when all things are considered.

With so many choices to search what are the factors that lead to a good deal.

• Look at the days on market. A long period may give you an indication of problems that face either the home or the process it will take to buy it. Market your home with a short close in mind.

• How many pictures are displayed in the listing. The lack of pictures could indicate problems with the condition of the home. Use multiple pictures with good quality.

• Look for good point of your home to describe and paint a picture for the buyers.


Finally, make the home available to view and much as possible, there is nothing worse than having a home for sale no one can see.

Spring Foreword

In Idaho we still have a few more weeks of the winter weather to contend with, but now is the time to start planning you home shape up.

Get the yard in shape and put down the first of the spring mix of lawn fertilizer to wake it up and green up when the spring weather comes. Prune back all of your roses and iris to make them happy and ready to bud out. If you don’t have snow on the ground then you might even get the mower out to give a quick once over to pick up the winter leaves. Get the trees trimmed and ready to bud before they come out on their own. Clean out your rain gutters from the leaves and dirt that comes with the heavy snow.


Make the house look more presentable a sleek and clean looking. A couple of hours of clean up time now will make your yard happier this spring!

Let’s ask the studio audience!

Ok, with all the new TV shows on that allow everyone in America vote on their favorite group, person or dance crew, why don’t we do the democratic system the same?

We could eliminate the wrangling and idiotic thinking of one person’s opinion and just ask everyone of voting age and qualification to pick up the phone and let them vote via the telephone for house bills and senate bills floating around. Just think of it, we would put many of the candidates out of business thus saving millions of dollars of waste and pork spending. What a concept this would be.

Now I know that this will never happen, but with today’s technology you would think that there is a better way to do business other than the complete breakdown that we have in Washington today. Let’s just ask the studio audience. Ha Ha. LOL

Two bits on QR Codes

You see them all over the place now, in stores, in newspapers and now on Real Estate signage. I have been experimenting with QR codes for a little over a year now. They are a great way to get instant information if you have a smart phone that is equipped to handle it.

Using QR is kind of a hit and miss. If you have a website or several in my case, it doesn’t make much sense to use the codes inside of the website, after all are you going to scan a code if you can just click a link? The best area so far is in your advertising. Placing a code in say a craigslist ad or into newspaper advertising if you still do that, however most smart phone owners probably read online!

The answer is that it is going to be up to the agents using them to determine where they will get the most use, certainly on your yard signage and flyers. Wherever you use them, make sure it is easy to scan from your phone.

MLS#98459170 Short Sale 2722 Charlotte Boise, ID

Short Sale, Wonderful well kept home in newer neighborhood with a fully fenced back yard full auto sprinklers set up with pressurized irrigation.

Close to schools, shopping, and parks and airport. Features include: Split bedroom floor plan and a large kitchen/great room. The kitchen has breakfast bar, pantry, suspended soffits over counters, and a beautiful tiled backsplash. Floors in kitchen, eating area, and bathrooms are beautifully tiled. Large Master suite has soaker.

Perfect for the investor with renters currently in place until September of 2011.

Mastering your craft

Working Realtors now days must do the extra details of every aspect in dealing with your clients and customers in relation to real estate transactions. There is no rock that can go unturned.

This is especially true when you have out of town and out of State clients that buy in your area. If every Agent did the extra that it takes to make things easier for the average home buyer get the information they need it would not only sell the properties but would cut down time on the market for their listings.


Going the extra step means to have great detail of your property including many pictures and virtual tours. As a buyer agent it is my job to go and take more pictures if there are few or poor documentation. This may include taking video to post on YouTube! It simply doesn’t cut it any more to place information on the MLS and hope that it sells. Making it easy for out of area buying public to notice and get “feelings” about a property is the responsibility of the Realtors.

To me, full service means to give everything that I can to help the public visualize and dramatize the properties. Happy buying!

Home Sale Snapshot for January 2011

It is always a good indicator of the housing market to see what the first month of the year is doing. So far it is on track to be a fair year in home sales. Let’s break down the market sales to see how we are faring. These statistics are from the intermountain multiple listing services for the month of January 2011.

• 659 Single family residential (Houses)
• 55 Condo or townhome
• 8 other category, includes recreational and mobile home

Now for the sold prices

• $940,500 the high price sold
• $7,000 the low price sold
• $140,855 average price sold

Average days on market where 99
These statistics only reflect the homes sold with the multiple listing services.

The Big Game

As the weekend flew by, I did get to watch one of the best spectacles on TV, I am talking about of course the Super Bowl! I feel that I must go off topic for heartfelt congratulations to the Green Bay Packers, not just because I now work for a real estate company that is called Packers realty, but, I am a lifelong Packers fan.

The game itself was everything you could imagine a championship to be, the two best teams finally made the grade and didn’t disappoint anyone. Despite one of the worst halftime performances and the opening star spangled banner sung out of place, the game made up for everything.

When you look at the outcome it couldn’t have happened to a greater team. There was also class on the other side, the Pittsburg Steelers were a formidable opponent and played like a game should. In the end the Green bay Packers are a championship team that your kids can look up to.

Balanced Rock in Southern Idaho

Balanced Rock State park is located in the Southern part of Idaho.  It is a National Monument; the Rock is nearly 59 feet tall and only a little over 3 feet at the base.  Just a short drive from Castleford and Buhl, you will find a very nice and quiet park across the road to have a picnic.  

MLS# 98459170 - Income short sale for sale!

Wonderful well kept home in newer neighborhood with a fully fenced back yard full auto sprinklers set up with pressurized irrigation. Close to schools, shopping, and parks and airport.

Features include: Split bedroom floor plan, 3 bedrooms 2 bathroom and a very large 3 car garage and a large kitchen/great room. The kitchen has breakfast bar, pantry, suspended soffits over counters, and a beautiful tiled backsplash. Floors in kitchen, eating area, and bathrooms are beautifully tiled. Large Master suite has soaker tub, separate shower and double doors to access private covered patio. Current tenants at $850 / mo $142,000.00

Click on Link to view the youtube video tour!

What Home Buyers are shopping for!

With the glut of homes on the market home buyers are searching for bargains that can be found for reduced prices. Location used to be the term used by real estate professionals when describing the top list want of house buying clients. Now it has changed with market changes. Here are my top 5 wants of my buyers surveyed.

• Price (they like the low prices)

• Size (get as much as they can for the price)

• Number of bedrooms (more the better)

• Covenants and restrictions (they don’t want)

• Area (most have given in to get all of the above first)

As the market changes in the future the order of the wants and wishes of buyers looking will probably change again. For my recent buyers it is PRICE, PRICE, PRICE.